The singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, appeared in a Chicago court on Thursday to make his plea before the judge.

The singer will appear in court again on 26 June, and it is believed the prosecution will reveal more of the evidence they have against the star on the day.

The musician has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault following the release of the Surviving R Kelly documentary, which featured various women who accused Kelly of abuse.

Advertisement

Advertisement

According to the new indictment, the first eight counts are from encounters that allegedly occurred between 1 January and 31 January 2010. Three others pertain to alleged encounters between 1 May 2009 and 31 January 2010.

Prosecutors allege, among other things, that Kelly used force or threatened to do so to pressure the accuser into sex or to perform oral sex on him.

R Kelly appeared in court to plead not guilty to sexual assault charges (Picture: AP)

Since she was underage at the time, the statute of limitations for bringing charges was extended to 20 years from her 18th birthday.

Speaking after R Kelly’s appearance in front of the judge, the star’s defense lawyer claimed people should not believe the alleged victims because of their recent behaviour at the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.

The star’s lawyer revealed he has been making money by performing at private events (Picture: Getty Images)

‘There was an award show this weekend and the alleged victims were celebrating and posting pictures,’ Steve Greenberg said while talking to the press.

‘I’ve never seen anything like this. They are getting wined and dined like they are heroes.

‘The reason why they are acting like this is because they aren’t victims.’

The lawyer also revealed that despite not being able to book slots at public festivals and concerts since the documentary and the Mute R Kelly campaign made waves, the singer has still been paid getting work.

Advertisement

Advertisement

‘He performed at a private party this weekend and he was very good, he’s a talented man,’ the lawyer added.

Got a showbiz story?

If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.